For he beholds the ends of the earth and sees
all that is under the heavens.

3

He has set a boundary for the darkness; to the
farthest confines he penetrates.

9

He sets his hand to the flinty rock, and
overturns the mountains at their foundations.

10

He splits channels in the rocks; his eyes
behold all that is precious.

11

He probes the wellsprings of the streams, and
brings hidden things to light.

25

He has weighed out the wind, and fixed the
scope of the waters;

26

When he made rules for the rain and a path for
the thunderbolts,

27

Then he saw wisdom and appraised it, gave it
its setting, knew it through and through.

28

And to man he said: Behold, the fear of the
LORD is wisdom; and avoiding evil is understanding.

1 [1-28] Note the changed order of
verses; Job 28:4 is uncertain. This chapter
contains a beautifully vivid description of that Wisdom which is beyond the
attainment of creatures; known only to God, it is reflected in the order and
majesty of his creation. Man, however, can, in a way, participate in this
Wisdom by fearing the LORD and avoiding evil. Scholars are not agreed regarding
the authorship of this poem, though it is altogether worthy of the author of
the Book of Job. Used here as a counterpoise to Job 3 at the beginning of the
dialogue, it may have been first conceived as an independent poem.